Kenyan fury at threat to organic trade - Observer

[Eugene]

Source: The Observer

Kenyan fury at threat to organic trade

Poor farmers could lose their livelihoods if the UK approves
a ban on air-freighted imports

Aidan Hartley in Kiambu, Kenya
Sunday July 15, 2007
The Observer

In floppy hats and gumboots, Kenya's Kikuyu farmers are preparing
for war with Britain. There isn't an AK-47 in sight, though there are
plenty of organic cucumbers, carrots, French beans and cauliflowers.

It's a battle over who is to blame for climate change - poor African
farmers who export their produce by air, or Western consumers who
care about the environmental impact of 'food miles'.

'Who emits more greenhouse gases?' asks Charles Kimani among his
avocado trees. 'A Kenyan or a Briton?' The average Briton emits 30
times more carbon than a Kenyan, according to World Bank figures -
or 9.4 tonnes of CO2 compared with 0.3 tonnes.

Behind the furore is the proposal by the UK's Soil Association to ban
imports of organic produce from poor countries like Kenya because
of their 'food miles' - the carbon emitted by air transport. Starting
with a debate in London tomorrow, the SA will hear views on the
issue until September, when it may decide to introduce a limited or
total ban. A ban would mean labelling air-freighted products so that
they effectively lost their organic status due to their 'food miles'.
Such a move would destroy the livelihoods of tens of thousands of
smallholders across Africa in one of the continent's most enterprising
export industries, forcing them back into poverty and subsistence
farming.

-snip-

Read more: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2126614,00.html

[Igel]

1. Kimani's question is an ass-biter.

"'Who emits more greenhouse gases?' asks Charles Kimani among his
avocado trees. 'A Kenyan or a Briton?' The average Briton emits 30
times more carbon than a Kenyan, according to World Bank figures -
or 9.4 tonnes of CO2 compared with 0.3 tonnes."

And one way for a Briton to reduce is greenhouse gas emissions is to not buy from Kimani.

[greenman3610]

2. excellent business opportunity for

freight carrying helium airships

[razzleberry]

3. too slow

slow air transport, too slow

[kestrel91316]

4. Not for coffee. It's not perishable in any big way.